Catfish are without a doubt one of the most pursued fish in the entire South,. Much of this is due to them being a staple at the dinner table, especially during this time of year.

There are several ways to catch catfish, and enterprising fishermen all across the Arkansas River Valley seem to come up with different ways each and every year. Here is a look at how most anglers are putting their catfish in the livewell.

One type of fishing that is quite prominent below the dam on the Arkansas River is known as “drift” fishing. If you are unfamiliar with this term, it really is rather simple. These folks motor up close to the dam, set out their poles and let the current carry them back down the river.

As they drift along they pick up a few fish along the way using a variety of baits that include shad, perch, worms, livers and stinkbait. Once they go a good ways and determine they are out of the fish they will simply start up their motor, pull back up to the dam and start the process all over again.

The folks who spend the most time working at Catfishing are the “snaggers” who use big rods and reels but no bait to snag big humongous catfish and try to get them back to the bank. You want to talk about work? These folks are the hardest-working fishermen on any creek or river bank.

If you have never seen these folk’s fish, simply take a trip down to the lock and dam on a good hot summer day and watch them in action. If you have always thought fishing was easy, you will be shocked to see just how hard it can be.

There is also a surprise element to snagging as well because it is highly unpredictable as to the size and species of fish you are hooking up with. Sometimes these folks wrestle these big fish for long periods of time just to have them come unhooked and get away.

For us simple less-energetic types, bank fishing is still the best idea for catfishing. Day or night is good, but to beat the heat, night fishing is the best.

A variety of baits will work while bank fishing including — livers, worms, cut-bait, grasshoppers or crickets, minnows, and even some homemade stink bait. The trick is to find exactly what the fish are eating on and a good spot. Locally on Lake Dardanelle, if you can find a good limb overhanging the water during the mayfly hatch, you will have a highly successful trip.

Jugging or noodling are also other highly successful options and are almost as much fun as reeling them in. Usually these folks will put out their jugs early of the morning or late of the evening and scatter them out all across a certain area. Once the lines are baited and distributed they just sit back relax and wait.

The excitement starts when the jugs or noodles start bobbing up and down. Once that happens the chase is on, as these fishermen take after them in the boat and land their catch. You get several lines going at once and the heart pounding action seems nonstop, but then it might be a few hours before another line goes down.

Trotlines are another option for anglers and usually involve baiting a tied-out line of the evening, and then coming back the next morning to run the lines and see what you have caught.

This method is not as exciting as some of the others mentioned, but it is definitely one of the most productive. If filling your freezer is your objective, it is definitely a method you would want to try.